Exit Staged Right
by Thomas Mc
Summary: After months of fruitless searching for his missing Catherine, Vincent gets help from a totally unexpected source. This is both Classic and A/U
1. Part 1A

**Exit Staged Right**  
_by Thomas Mc_

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_Author's Notes: This story is a little bit different from anything else I have written before. It is a stand alone story and not part of the same timeline as all my other stories. The basic premise is not really new. I've seen it done with other TV shows but I haven't seen it done for this one, though I'm sure I'm not the only one to think of it. - - One important point: This is actually two closely related stories combined. The odd numbered Chapters make up one story and the even numbered chapters make up the other story. I hope you enjoy it and feel free to comment._

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**Part 1-A**

Morning was rapidly approaching on what had been another long tiring, fruitless, night of searching. For months now he had relentlessly scoured the city for his beloved Catherine. He had been told that the police had downgraded her case and had stopped looking but he refused to give up. Now more than ever he mourned the loss of the special bond they had shared. Once he would have known exactly which direction and how far away she was – now all he could do was comb the city and hope he would stumble across her or a clue to her whereabouts.

Vincent leaned wearily against the solid rock tunnel wall, exhausted and dispirited. As he closed his eyes and was about to push himself away from the wall, he was distracted by a ringing in his ears that was rapidly getting louder. Suddenly a wave of dizziness swept over him, leaving him disoriented and weak. He started to slide down the wall as he felt his legs give way underneath him.

As the dizziness and confusion continued to plague him, he became aware of three things simultaneously: The rock wall he had been leaning against had shifted slightly beneath his weight; It was a lot brighter than it should be in these tunnels – bright enough to see light through his closed eyelids; And someone was shouting above the persistent ringing.

"Cut! ... That was perfect, Ron, just the right amount of emotion." There was a pause, then a low babble of many voices. "OK Kill the lights." The brightness went away as the shouter called out again. "OK everybody, take thirty, then lets get prepped for the scene twenty-three 'over the shoulder' pick-up with Linda and Ron right after lunch. Linda, honey, are you ready ..."

The shouter was interrupted by Catherine's worried voice. "Ron ... Ron, Are you alright?" He felt a touch on his shoulder and, opening his eyes in surprise, looked up to see Catherine standing over him her hand lightly touching his shoulder. "Robert, something's wrong with Ron." There was a hint of concern in her voice. Another wave of dizziness, ringing and confusion swept through him and he closed his eyes, trying to get his mind to focus. He had to be hallucinating. He felt his shoulder being shaken. He opened his eyes again and saw Catherine kneeling down beside him, concern growing in her eyes. "Ron, look at me, what's wrong?" He shook his head, still trying to clear the confusion that kept threatening to overwhelm him. Why was she calling him Ron? He saw her turn to the stranger standing on the other side of him. "Robert, help me get him to his trailer." For a moment he felt like he was being enveloped in a formless fog. He shook his head, trying to clear it to no avail.

The stranger barked out, "You two, come help us get Ron to his trailer!" Two other strangers came up and lifted him to his feet. "It'll be OK Linda, we've got him. Come on." With Catherine in the lead the strange men started half carrying him away from the incomplete tunnel wall. His head was swimming but he could sense no hostility or menace. In fact he was aware that everyone was definitely concerned for his welfare so he relaxed and let them help him. Though his rubbery legs were unable to support him unassisted, at least he was able to reduce the load on the two strangers that were trying to assist him.

As he began to take notice of his strange surroundings, he saw bits and pieces of his world scattered haphazardly around in what looked like a very large warehouse. They were leading him away from one side of a twenty foot section of the tunnels. Ahead and to the right was his chamber split in half and with many lights where the ceiling should be. To his left was Father's library chamber with one wall missing and, again, many lights in place of the missing ceiling. Nothing made sense and he was finding it difficult to think through the swirling incoherence of his mind.

Vincent was beginning to feel just a bit panicky. First the dizziness and weakness and now hallucinations. Was the sickness coming back? It couldn't – not now when Catherine needed him the most. He had to fight it, get control – otherwise, he would be unable to help her, or even search for her.

Nothing made any sense. He glanced ahead at Catherine's back as she glanced over her shoulder at him, worry plainly visible on her face. She looked real enough but how did she get here and where had she been?

He was taken through a door into some kind of parking lot. Above the mid-day sun was shining down and he felt the beginnings of real panic. This was wrong – he must never venture Above during the day. There was too much chance of being seen. He tried to struggle free, to turn back, but he was too weak and uncoordinated to be effective.

"It's alright, Ron, calm down." Catherine was admonishing him. "The scene can wait. We'll go back and shoot it when you're feeling better." There was no doubting the definite concern in her voice.

Catherine and the strangers were leading him to some kind of trailer. He was still having trouble concentrating. It felt like his mind was stuffed with cotton and the ringing in his ears would not go away.

He felt them helping him up the steps and through the door. The next thing he was conscious of was them lowering him onto a soft couch.

As he closed his eyes he heard Catherine's voice. "I'll stay with him. You go get the doctor."

There was a short conversation, too low to hear through the strange ringing in his ears, then he heard someone exit the trailer.

He heard Catherine's voice again and opened his eyes as his senses finally began to clear. He got a faint echo of her emotions, that grew rapidly stronger as he stared at her. The ringing and mental confusion were dwindling just as rapidly. He was shocked as he realized that Catherine was pregnant. Then he looked closer, as his sense of her grew sharper, and was shocked again. It was her face and her voice but this was not his Catherine.

Vincent rubbed at his face, trying to scrub away the last of the confusion that still continued to swirl around in his mind. The not-Catherine held out her hand in warning as she spoke. "Ron, don't ... " As he looked up in response to her words, she jumped backwards, her eyes becoming wide open in surprise and fear as she bumped against the opposite wall. "You're not Ron!" Her hand came up to her mouth, her eyes as round as saucers. "Oh my Lord, your real!"

_**Continued**_

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'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	2. Part 1B

**Exit Staged Right**  
_by Thomas Mc_

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**Part 1-B**

It had been a long tiring day of shooting, starting at five in the morning with several hours in makeup. It was only the middle of the day but Ron was starting to feel wrung out. It was close to lunch time and he was getting hungry. There was just one more over the shoulder pickup shoot with Linda and then he could get out of these itchy prosthetics and, hopefully, get a good nights sleep. Tomorrow they would get a rare day off, then it was back to the grind for the big roof top death scene. That was going to be shot on location and would be the last scene of the season premier as well as his last shoot with Linda. Ron was going to miss Linda but he understood her reasons for leaving the show. Life was hard enough in this business as it was and she needed the time to care for the new baby that would be arriving soon enough as well as reconnecting with her husband.

Ron forced his mind back to the task at hand. One thing about shooting this scene this late in a long week, it made it easy to play the part of a Vincent that was beaten down and discouraged by months of fruitless searching. As he made his way along the section of generic tunnel wall, he was distracted by a ringing in his ears that was rapidly getting louder. Suddenly a wave of dizziness swept over him, leaving him disoriented and weak. He started to slide down as he felt his legs give way underneath him.

As he sat there on the floor, his back against the tunnel wall section, he became aware of three things simultaneously: The rock wall he had been leaning against felt incredibly solid for plywood and plaster; It was a lot dimmer than it should be; And the entire crew was missing. In fact the only thing in front of him was another rock wall.

Why didn't Robert call cut? Who turned out all the lights? Ron closed his eyes and shook his head trying to clear it but the ringing, dizziness and confusion would not go away. He looked up at what should have been banks of stage lights and saw again only solid rock instead. He closed his eyes as another wave of dizziness swept over him

"Vincent, Are you alright?" He felt a touch on his shoulder and, opening his eyes, looked up to see a young girl, about ten or eleven, standing over him her hand lightly touching his shoulder. "Vincent, is something wrong with you?" There was a hint of concern in her voice. Another wave of dizziness, ringing and confusion swept through him and he closed his eyes, trying to get his mind to focus. He had to be hallucinating. He felt his shoulder being shaken. He opened his eyes again and saw the child kneeling down beside him, concern and just a hint of fear growing in her eyes. "Vincent, what's wrong? Is it the sickness again?" He shook his head, still trying to clear the confusion that kept threatening to overwhelm him. This wasn't in the script. Who was she and why was she there? When did they add her to this scene? Couldn't they tell that he was sick?

The young girl stood up. "I'll go get someone to help you to your chamber." For a moment he felt like he was being enveloped in a formless fog. Again he shook his head, trying to clear it to no avail. It was like his head was stuffed with cotton and his thoughts were muffled and erratic. He tried to stand up but his legs were too weak. Finally he gave up as the confusion and persistent ringing continued to sweep over him. He had an intense desire to scrub at his face where it itched but he knew that it would knock the prosthetic loose and cost time while it was all reapplied. This was ridiculous, where was everyone? Again he tried to get up and again his knees gave out on him.

Eventually his attention was drawn down the extraordinarily real looking tunnel at the sound of footsteps. He saw the child coming back with Roy , Armin, David and Irena in tow, all were decked out in full makeup and costume. That didn't make sense. None of them had shoots scheduled for today. Armin and David Helped him to his feet and assisted him down the tunnel. All the wile they were referring to each other as Father, Mouse, Jamie and Pascal. The tunnel set was never this long. It made no sense what so ever. None of this was in the script yet they were all continuing to play their parts. He kept waiting for Robert to call cut. Then maybe someone would notice that he wasn't acting and help him. Another wave of dizziness nearly caused his knees to buckle under him.

"Easy there Vincent," Armin spoke to him. "We'll get you home safe." Armin raised his voice slightly. "He's Really unsteady, Father. I think this is more than just exhaustion."

Something was very wrong here. and Ron was beginning to feel real panic setting in as another wave of dizziness hit him. As the wave passed, he began to pay closer attention to his surroundings. His dizziness was finally beginning to clear just as they brought him into the set for Vincent's room, only it wasn't a set. It was real. This whole situation was becoming so surreal.

As Ron's head began to clear Roy shooed the rest out of the room then turned and began to examine him. Within seconds Roy's eyes grew wide as saucers and he backed away a couple of steps. "You're not Vincent!" He shook his head as if trying to deny what he was seeing. "Who are you? Why are you made up to look like him? Where is he?"

_**Continued  
**_

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'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	3. Part 2A

**Exit Staged Right**  
_by Thomas Mc_

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**Part 2-A**

Vincent looked more closely at the face that was so familiar and yet different in some indefinable way. "Who is Ron? Who are You? Where am I?" He could clearly sense the confusion and fear in this doppelganger, but it was nothing like the bond he had with his Catherine. "Please," he entreated, "tell me what is going on here and how you could look so much like Catherine Chandler."

The doppelganger just shook her head. "This is crazy. You can't be real. It's not possible."

The tableau held for several seconds while Vincent sensed curiosity slowly growing in this woman. Eventually the curiosity over-road her fear and she slowly reached out her trembling hand. "Vincent?" She gently touched his cheek then quickly pulled back, continuing to stare. "How can this be?" She asked in a shaky voice.

"Who are you?" Vincent asked.

"I ... um ... I'm ... Linda ... Linda Hamilton." The woman stammered out.

"Why do you look so much like Catherine?" He asked.

"Catherine is the character I play in the show." Linda responded slowly gaining confidence.

"Show?" Vincent asked confused.

"The Beauty and the Beast television show." She replied.

"Are you saying that there is a television show about me?" Vincent asked, incredulous. "Catherine would surely have mentioned it to me if there was."

"Well, yes, but it's a fantasy. You're not supposed to exist." She thought for a few seconds. A far as I know, there is no Catherine Chandler in New York."

Vincent looked down in thought then back at Linda. "Who is Ron?" He asked.

Linda responded, "The actor that play's ... you."

Again Vincent thought for a short time. "If I'm here then where is he?" He asked under his breath then looked up. "Never mind. Just before I ended up here, I was searching for Catherine. She has been missing for several months and I've lost my bond with her. Does that have anything to do with your show?"

Linda's hand flew up to her mouth. "Oh, No!"

Vincent could sense a strong streak of distress in Linda as well as see it in her eyes. "What is it? What's wrong?" Now he was really getting concerned.

Linda looked around then picked up a binder that was sitting on a nearby counter top. Almost gingerly she held it out to Vincent. "May be you had better see this."

Vincent took the binder, opened it and began to skim it. It was a script for the show. He started to read it very carefully. It detailed everything that had happened since Catherine came into the lower catacombs to bring him back. He looked up at Linda in surprise when he reached the part about Catherine being pregnant. All the while Linda continued to watch him as he read. She could almost tell where he was in the script by his expressions. Then he came to the last few pages that predicted a grim resolution to his search. He looked up at Linda, his eyes full of pain. "But why! Why does it end this way?"

Linda gazed back, full of sorrow for the pain she could see in his eyes. "I'm pregnant." She pressed down on her dress showing her growing belly. "I'm leaving the series to spend more time with my family so the writers decided to kill my character off."

Vincent stood up. Linda jumped back, partially out of surprise and partially to get out of his way. Vincent began pacing, mumbling to himself. He stopped and looked at Linda holding out the script. "Is this ... show ... a reflection of my life ... or is my world just an echo of this script?" He looked down at the script. "Who is the master and who is the puppet."

Linda simply shrugged her shoulders while shaking her head.

Vincent smacked the script into his other hand. "I can't let it end like this. There must be a way to change our destiny." He waved the script at Linda. "Isn't there some way to keep the character alive in the show without you?"

The entreaty in his eyes was hard for Linda to resist. She thought for a while then looked up at Vincent. "There are several ways. You can keep the character off screen, just occasional phone calls and letters. You can never show the character's face." She thought some more. "They might could get a different actress to play Catherine."

Vincent asked, "How would that work?"

Linda thought about what had been done before. "Create some kind of plot device to explain the difference in appearance." She paused. "Or just replace the actress and don't bother to explain the new appearance, It has been done before."

"How would that effect my world?" He asked.

"I have no idea. You don't even know which world is effecting the other," she responded.

He looked down at the script in his hand. "According to this script, I still have about a month and a half till she is killed. I ..."

They were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Ron, Linda, It's almost time for the press conference," the voice announced from outside. "You need to get moving if you want to make it in time."

_**Continued  
**_

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'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	4. Part 2B

**Exit Staged Right**  
_by Thomas Mc_

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**Part 2-B**

Ron looked up at Roy, trying to clear the last lingering remnants of the confusion from his head. "Roy, what's going on here? It's me, Ron. Vincent is just the character I play." He looked closer. "You're not Roy, are you?" Ron looked around as he finally accepted that this was not a set, it was real.

"Who is Roy and who are you?" The man he thought was Roy demanded.

Ron sighed. "Roy Doltrice is the actor that plays … you." He felt like he had wandered into a Twilight Zone episode. But what surprised him the most was how easily and calmly he was accepting and even understanding the situation. Must be too shocked to panic. "My name is Ron Perlman. I play Vincent on the Beauty and the Beast TV show." He looked around again. If this was a dream it was a surprisingly real one. "But I'm no longer on the studio set, am I?" He looked at the man he realized must be the real Jacob Wells and shook his head. "This is crazy. It can't be real. It's just not possible. Beauty and the Beast is just a television show." He looked at Jacob, hoping he could explain. "Am I going insane or are you really Father … Jacob Wells?"

"You know who I am?" Jacob was surprised by this stranger's use of his given name.

"Of course. I've been doing this show for two years." He stared at Jacob. "But if this is real then that means Vincent is also real." He glanced at the doorway as if expecting Vincent to walk through at any moment. "If I'm here then where is the real Vincent?"

Jacob shook his head. "I don't know. It's after sunrise and Vincent should be back by now."

"Maybe Vincent has appeared in my place on the studio set." His eyes got wide. "Oh my god. Linda is scheduled to do some pickup shots with me today. She is going to loose it." He smiled then chuckled at the thought of Linda faced with a real live Vincent. Then it hit him. "Oh no, is Linda missing … I mean is Catherine missing?" He was suddenly very upset.

Jacob was startled. "You know about that too?"

Ron jumped up and started pacing. "Oh God! Oh God! This is Bad!"

Jacob observed Ron's Actions with concern. "Calm down … ah … Roy … what are you so upset about?"

"You don't understand. I've read the whole script." He stopped and stared at Jacob. "Catherine dies at the end of the episode!"

"WHAT !" Jacob exclaimed as he and Ron Perlman stood staring at each other for several seconds. "What do you mean, Catherine dies?" There was real concern in Jacob's voice as he stared at this man that had been made up to look like Vincent.

"That is the scene Linda and I are scheduled to shoot tomorrow … today … whatever, I'm not even sure what day it is. We're supposed to shoot Catherine's death scene on the roof top of … of … **DAMN**, I can't remember the name of the building." He started pacing again.

Jacob looked on, too stunned to speak. As he stood there in shock, a small corner of his mind had noticed that though this man was not Vincent, he could see many elements of Vincent in his mannerisms and in his voice. Then he was startled by a sudden exclamation from the stranger.

"YES! Of course!" Ron stopped pacing and faced Jacob. "Roy, ah, Father, how long has it been since Catherine went down into the lower catacombs after Vincent?"

Jacob managed to pull himself together. "Uh … it's been six months."

Ron visibly relaxed. "Good. That means we have time. If this world is really the same as my show, then we have at least a month or more before Gabriel kills her." He started pacing again, talking mostly to himself. "First we need to find Jay, uh, Joe and … and … DAMN IT, what's her name? … Diana! Diana Bennett." He faced Jacob. "If we can get to Catherine before her baby's born, she's safe."

"What!" Jacob exploded, again. "What baby?"

Ron stared at Jacob. "Catherine and Vincent's baby. She was on her way to tell him when she was kidnapped."

Jacob stared at Ron dumbfounded. "Baby?"

"Yes. In the story, when Catherine found Vincent he had given in to the beast and was dying. That's how she got him to want to live again." Ron shook his head. "We shot that scene yesterday, though I suspect they will probably cut it. It was a bit too racy for television." He sat back down facing Jacob. "That is why Gabriel is keeping her alive. He has seen Vincent and he wants the baby. The script doesn't specifically say why." Ron slammed his fist against the low table by the bed, startling Jacob. "If only I could remember the name of that damn building. All I remember is that it's owned by Gabriel."

"Catherine and Vincent are having a baby?" Jacob was still trying to digest this revelation.

"Yea, that's how it was written." He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure but I think the original Idea was to write Linda's pregnancy into the show but she wanted to spend more time with her family and the new baby she's expecting so she decided to leave. The higher ups decided to just killed her character." He shook his head. "Personally, I don't think a show like this one can survive the death of half of the romantic leads. It's the romance that the audience is invested in."

Jacob shook off his shock. "This is nonsense." He shook his head.

Ron fired back. "Of course it's nonsense. It's totally absurd. Don't you think I know that? But I'm here!" He pounded his fist on the beat up desk he was standing next to. "And it's real!"

_**Continued**_

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'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	5. Part 3A

**Exit Staged Right**  
_by Thomas Mc_

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**Part 3-A**

Vincent stared at Linda. "What should we do now?" He asked. The thought of facing a group of reporters made him cringe with memories of the hell Spirco had put Him and Catherine through.

"We'll be along in a moment." Linda called out to the man who had knocked, then more quietly. "I could take it by myself if you would rather stay here. I think I know how you feel about reporters. However if you did go, they would just assume that you were Ron and had not removed your makeup yet." She shrugged. "I could do all the talking for both of us if you want."

Vincent stood there for several seconds considering the situation. With a determined effort he pushed his fears aside. "I can go with you." he shrugged. "Besides that will forestall having to deal with the doctor when Robert returns. I don't think a doctor will believe that I am Ron." Then he smiled. "And it would not be the first time I pulled it off by letting everyone assume I was in costume."

Linda looked at him speculatively. "You must be talking about the episode where you met uh ... the writer ... uh ... oh yes, Brigit O'Donnell." Linda smiled. "That was a very popular episode."

"There was also the big charity party we went to on top of the Empire State Building last Halloween." Vincent remarked.

"We didn't do a Halloween episode last season because of the writer's strike." Linda responded. She looked thoughtful. "Although I do remember hearing rumors that they had intended to make a big deal about shooting on location at the top of one of the New York sky scrapers." She got thoughtful. "So how does that effect your question about which world effects the other?"

Vincent paused to think about what she asked. "I don't think it settles the question either way."

As he exited Ron Perlman's trailer, Vincent was deep in thought, digesting all the things he had heard. He had to find a way to change things or find a way to rescue Catherine before she was killed. According to the script he had just read, he still had maybe a month and a half before she died. He could see two possible courses of action. He could learn everything he could about the show so that he could find a way to reach Catherine in time when (there was no if for him) he got back. He could try to get the scripts changed so that Catherine survived on the show in hopes that it would also change his world. He could do both, hopefully, doubling his chances of saving Catherine.

Vincent was pulled out of his reverie when he realized that he and Linda were surrounded by a large group of people. Many of them were waving various items at them while calling out 'Ron' or 'Linda'. Vincent was startled by a couple of bright flashes. He sensed a combination of worry and amusement coming from Linda, mixed with waves of excitement coming from the crowd.

Linda leaned towards him speaking in a low voice, "Fans of the TV show." Then she tried in vain to calm the crowd.

As he fought to keep his composure, Vincent's natural leadership came to his rescue. He raised his arms and called the crowd to order. Once they had quieted down he pointed to the young girl nearest to him. "Now, what can I do for you?"

She held out a photograph of Vincent and Catherine (Ron and Linda in character). "Would you both autograph this for me, please?"

"I would be happy to." He took the photograph from her, then started looking around. "Uh ... I need a pen." Someone in the crowd handed one to him. Using the script binder, he was still holding, as a writing surface, he signed the picture then handed it to Linda.

Looking at the picture, Linda was amused to see that he had signed it 'Vincent Wells'. Chuckling to herself, she signed 'Catherine Chandler' then handed it back to the young girl. The girl looked at her signed picture and squealed in delight. The grinning young girl thanked them profusely as an older woman took a picture of her standing next to them. Vincent could clearly feel the happiness bubbling up inside her.

The next woman handed Vincent an eight by twelve reproduction of the Kristopher Gentian painting. Even that painting was mirrored in this world. Vincent and Linda signed them in the same way as the previous photo.

The third fan handed him an autograph book and Linda whispered in his ear, "You probably should sign with Ron's name."

Vincent whispered back. "What is my last name supposed to be?"

Linda laughed and replied, "Perlman."

Vincent signed with Ron Perlman and Linda signed with Linda Hamilton. Vincent found that he was actually beginning to enjoy himself. He loved the feelings of happiness he and Linda brought out in these people.

A young couple asked if they could have their picture taken with him and Linda. "We just got married and we are both fans of the show. We met at a mutual friends house watching the premier episode." The young woman explained.

Vincent and Linda posed on either side of the couple while another fan took their picture. Noticing the publicity picture of the painting they were carrying he asked, "would you like us to autograph that?"

"Oh, yes, please," the young woman replied.

"And your names?" Vincent asked.

"Jerry and Susan," she answered.

Vincent took the picture and on it he wrote:

_To Jerry and Susan,__  
May you both find your  
happy life together._

He signed it _Vincent_.

Linda signed _& Catherine _directly below his name.

At one point Linda remembered her little Instamatic camera that she had brought to get pictures of all her friends from the show and pulled it out. She got one of the fans to take a picture of herself and Vincent surrounded by the rest of the fans. Then while he was signing a fan's book, she took a close-up of Vincent. When he looked at her, she remarked, "To prove to myself that you were really here."

For an hour they continued to sign things for the group in that way; Character's names on pictures and actor's names on everything else. Finally they continued into the building where the reporters were waiting. On the way Linda informed Vincent that his writing was so much like Ron's that she couldn't tell them apart. As she glanced over at him she couldn't help thinking how impressive he looked in person and how easy it would be to fall for him regardless of his magnificently fearsome appearance (Or possibly even because of it).

_**Continued**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	6. Part 3B

**Exit Staged Right**  
_by Thomas Mc_

* * *

**Part 3-B**

Jacob shook his head. "Suppose I believe you, what can we do?" The one thing he couldn't deny was that this man knew all about Vincent and was even made up into an incredibly accurate likeness of him.

Ron began pacing again and Jacob couldn't help thinking how much his mannerisms mirrored Vincent. Finally he stopped. "Look, I know the script fairly well so I know what is supposed to happen. All we need to do to save Lin … Catherine, is change the script." He continued pacing. "We'll need help. If they exist then we will probably need the help of Diana Bennett, Joe Maxwell and, from what I heard about some of the future episodes, Elliot Burch may have some useful information."

"Joe? Catherine's boss?" Jacob asked.

"Yea," Ron replied. "He is in a lot of trouble right now because his boss is one of the bad guys."

"And who is this Diana Bennett?" Jacob asked.

"Detective Diana Bennett. She is the one assigned to Catherine's case. I don't know all the details, because I have only seen a couple of the future episode treatments, but she teams up with Vincent to search for his son." Ron shrugged. "I think they both end up learning about the tunnels but that is just what they are saying around the set."

"What about Elliot?" Jacob looked dubious.

"According to the series bible, he really does care about Catherine and will do almost anything for her. I think he can help."

"I can send messages to the three of them but I don't think it would be wise to bring them into the tunnels." Jacob offered. "Maybe some neutral place."

Ron thought for a while. "How about the basement of Catherine's building?" At Jacob's nod of assent Ron continued. "Good, you send the messages. Meanwhile I'll get out of this make-up. It tends to gets a little bit uncomfortable after a while."

Jacob left the chamber to arrange the meeting and send the messages. Ron proceeded to remove the prosthetics and make-up. By the time Jacob returned, Vincent was gone and Ron stood in his place. Jacob stared at him for a while. He could see hints of Vincent in this man's face and thought that this is what Vincent would have looked like without whatever it was that made him so unique.

"The meeting is in three hours." Jacob told him. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes, now that you mention it." Ron replied.

Jacob lead him to the dining chamber and introduced him to those that were there. Word had gotten around that a rescue mission was being planned. Pascal, Jamie and Mouse were all there and insisted that they should be included. The three of them kept looking at Ron as though trying to figure out what it was that seemed so familiar about him. Father told them that Ron might be able to help them find and rescue Catherine. All during this time, Ron had kept quiet and let Jacob do all the talking. When he finally did speak all three stared at him in surprise. They were all amazed at how much he sounded like Vincent.

After they finished eating they all headed to Catherine's building. When Jamie asked where Vincent was Jacob answered that he didn't know. Ron added that he was sure that Vincent was safe and would return eventually. Under his breath he added "I hope."

When they reached Catherine's building they found Joe, Diana and Elliot standing near the basement elevator doors. The three had been waiting there for a little while and had been talking. There was an air about them that combined curiosity, worry and a touch of hostility.

Joe was the first to speak. "Why have you brought us all here ... What do you know about Cathy and why did my note say to tell no one including Moreno?"

Diana chimed in. "If this is a prank or false report ..."

Elliot jumped in. "Where is Cathy?"

Ron spoke. "The man that has Catherine has connections all through City Hall. And to be more specific it was Moreno that betrayed both you, Joe, and Catherine to that man. His name is Gabriel and he is only keeping Catherine alive until her baby is born. Then he will kill her. We are going to try to rescue her before that happens. The police can't be involved because Gabriel will know everything as soon as they did."

"Hold it. You said baby. Cathy is pregnant?" Joe asked in surprise.

"Yes, and we have about a month and a half to find and rescue her before it's due." Ron replied.

During this exchange Elliot had been staring at Jacob. "You're that man we found in that hidden room. The one Catherine called father." Elliot then looked at Ron, his eyes hard as steel. "So, are you Vincent?"

Everyone was surprised by Elliot's question. Then comprehension dawned and Ron spoke. "That's right. Father did mention Vincent being in danger when you and Catherine found him." He glanced at Jacob then back at Elliot. "No, I'm not Vincent, though I do know him fairly well."

"So why are we here?" Elliot asked.

"That's a good question," chimed in Diana. "I have no connection with Miss Chandler."

Ron replied, "Because I know that you three have not been corrupted by Gabriel and you all have good reasons to want to help." He looked first at Joe. "Joe you have a personal stake in this. Gabriel is responsible for the death of your friend and you care a great deal for Catherine." He turned his attention to Diana. "You have no connection with Catherine yet, so you can move about and get into government files without being watched. Gabriel is exactly the type of quarry you would be hunting if you knew about him." He faced Elliot. "You have had run-ins with Gabriel before and you have access to information about his properties."

"Why should I help you?" Elliot was angry. "She dropped me and you say she's carrying another man's baby." He glared at Ron belligerently.

"Look Elliot, Lind … ah … Catherine cares a great deal about you. In a way she loves you. Think about what she tried to do for your father. She and Vincent together saved your life. Vincent could have gotten Catherine out of there safely and left you behind but they didn't. You had two chances with Catherine and you blew them both by making the wrong choices. Whether you like it or not they are in love with each other and she is carrying his child." Ron's eyes bored into him. "If you have any love for her at all, or even gratitude for the things she has done for you, you will help us rescue her. The decision is yours."

Ron and Elliot stood there glaring at each other for several seconds. Finally Elliot's shoulders slumped as he accepted the truth of this man's assertions. "I guess you have a point. All right, I'll help."

Diana spoke. "You said **find** and rescue. Does that mean you don't know where she is?"

"I don't know **exactly** where, but I know enough that Elliot should be able to locate the building, and you should be able to find us a way in." Ron looked around at these people, With the exception of Diana, they were all so familiar and yet so alien but he understood them and he believed in them, With his knowledge of the script, they might just change the destiny of this world. He just knew that he had to try.

_**Continued**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	7. Part 4A

**Exit Staged Right**  
_by Thomas Mc_

* * *

**Part 4-A**

As Linda and Vincent entered the room, a man in a business suit announced "OK boys and girls you have twenty minutes." A dozen reporters started shouting questions simultaneously. Each trying to out shout the other.

Vincent, having had experience dealing with the occasional contentious council meeting, raised his arms and roared, after which you could hear a pin drop. As Linda stared at him startled, he continued in a more quiet voice. "As we call on you one at a time, you may ask your questions. We will get a lot more done that way." He pointed to a woman near the center of the pack. "You first miss."

After the woman took a moment to regain her composure, she asked, "How did you do that?"

"Pardon?"

She elaborated. "How did you roar like that? It sounded so real."

"Just a little trick of the trade I picked up." Then he thought of something to forestall further requests, that he knew he would get, to do it again. "I can't do it often, very hard on the throat." He pointed to another woman reporter. "You're next miss."

"Amanda Robinson, Hollywood Star. Linda Hamilton, what are you going to do about your pregnancy? Are you going to incorporate it into the story line?"

Linda responded. "That's up to the writers. You will just have to wait for the new season to find out."

Vincent next called on a man near the front. The man asked. "I heard that you are leaving the series. Is there any truth to that?"

Again Linda replied, "It's always a possibility, but that has not been determined. At present I am considering my options."

The rest of the press conference went pretty smoothly. Most of the questions were answered by Linda. Whenever the future of her and the series was brought up, Linda's answers were non-committal or just plain evasive. A couple of questions were about Vincent's costume and makeup. He told them that he had just finished a scene and had not had time to remove it. Finally after a bit over thirty minutes, the man in the suit announced that the time was up and then escorted Linda and Vincent out of the room.

Linda asked Vincent if he was hungry and, when he said he was, led him over to the studio commissary. She spotted a couple of heavy weights in the entertainment news industry sitting in a corner booth. She pointed them out to Vincent. "I have an idea. What we need is a massive fan reaction if we want to get the script changed. Just follow my lead." She then got them seated in the booth right next to the reporters.

She started off in a voice just low enough to sound like she was talking confidentially yet just high enough for the reporters in the next booth to overhear. "I don't know Ron. When I told them that I was leaving the series to spend more time with my family, I didn't think they would kill off Catherine. I thought that they would just replace me with another actress."

Vincent jumped in. "I know. You just don't kill off half of the romantic leads and expect the show to keep it's audience. I understand and approve of your reasons for leaving but I don't think the show will survive it. I'm going to miss the show and you when it's over."

They went on to other subjects while they ate with additional comments about Linda's departure from the show sprinkled through out. The two reporters left after about a half hour.

"Now we'll see what happens. If the fans react strongly, it may just have an effect." She shook her head. "It just depends on the state of mind of the producer."

After dinner they went back to Ron's trailer. As they approached, Vincent started to get an echo of Linda's presence. It was so much like her yet it was very weak and the emotional content was different. Then he noticed another woman waiting by the trailer. Linda had been telling him about the complexities of the relationship between the fans and the producers. The other woman turned around and Vincent's heart jumped. "Catherine." He breathed softly to himself.

Linda looked startled. "What?"

"Catherine!" He shouted as he broke into a run.

As he skidded to a halt preparing to embrace the surprised woman, he stopped confused. "Your not Catherine."

Linda skidded to a stop next to him and started to collapse. Vincent sensing it, almost absentmindedly, reached out to catch her. "Linda, are you alright?" He kept his hold on her as she steadied herself.

"I'm OK, Vincent. It's my ankle. I injured it a few years ago while making 'The Terminator'. It never healed quite right." She turned to the other woman. "Leslie, what are you doing here?"

"Catherine? Vincent? What's going on and why are you explaining your ankle to Ron?" The woman was surprised and confused.

Linda responded. "Let's get in Ron's trailer and I'll explain."

Vincent proceeded to hustle both women into the trailer, his curiosity peaked. Once inside he asked. "What is going on here? How many doppelgangers are there?"

"Vincent, I would like to introduce you to my identical-twin sister, Leslie Hamilton Gearren." She turned to the stunned woman. "Leslie, I would like you to meet the **real** Vincent." She looked over at Vincent then back at her sister. "Somehow, Ron has vanished and Vincent has showed up in his place." She shrugged. "We don't know how it happened but it has."

Leslie tentatively reached out to touch Vincent's cheek then with a sharp intake of breath jerked her hand back. "You're real?" she took a step back. "That's impossible."

Linda eased Leslie into a chair and, while she regained her composure, explained what had happened so far. Occasionally Vincent would interject a comment or clarification describing it from his perspective. After they had brought Leslie up to speed, Leslie started asking Vincent questions about his world. Vincent thought it felt strange talking to these two women who seemed to know him and his life in embarrassingly intimate detail.

When the conversation came around to his relationship with Catherine, Vincent noticed a strong feeling of indecisiveness in Linda. "Linda, is something bothering you?"

Linda looked at him, startled. "Vincent, are you sensing my emotions?"

"Yes, both of you," was his response. He now sensed a definite tinge of embarrassment in both women. "Sorry if I embarrassed you." He shrugged apologetically. "It's not something I can just turn off. I thought, being on this show, you would know that."

"I had forgotten." Linda gave him a half smile. "As long as I have been doing this show, you'd think I would remember. Then again until a few hours ago, I had thought of it as a fantasy." She gazed at Vincent for a short time, then made up her mind. "Vincent, I know you almost as well as you know yourself and I know that one of the things that has kept you and Catherine apart is your lack of knowledge about your mother and your fear of bringing harm to Catherine like you believe you might have brought to your mother." Vincent silently nodded his head and Linda continued. "I don't know if this will relate to your world but there is something I think you should know." She took a deep breath as Leslie looked on in fascination. "I got into a discussion with the producer once and asked him if the show would ever explain your origin. He told me that he was considering having Catherine track down your biological mother near the end of the third or forth season. Of course that was before they decided to kill Catherine off so I don't know what the current plan will be."

Vincent looked at Linda, stunned. "My mother is alive?"

Linda replied. "As far as the TV show producer was concerned half a year ago, she is and if the show last's long enough, you may meet her." Linda held up her hand in caution. "But we are trying to change the script and we don't really know how closely the two worlds track each other. Also, because of my situation, things have changed since that conversation, so take it with a grain of salt."

Linda checked her watch and turned on the small TV, changing the channel to the evening entertainment news show. The second item was the news of Linda's pregnancy and the probable death of her character in the show.

Linda turned to Vincent and Leslie. "Well, our little ruse worked. The news is out. Now we wait and see what happens."

_**Continued  
**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	8. Part 4B

**Exit Staged Right**  
_by Thomas Mc_

* * *

**Part 4-B**

Ron looked around at the group he had assembled. Each of them was waiting on him for leadership, for direction. What was he doing here? He was no hero; he was an actor, a puppet who pretended to be a hero for a television show. It had always been someone else calling the shots; the director; the writers; the producer. Now suddenly he was the one calling the shots and there was no script or director to tell him what to do next. This situation was so absurd that he could barely accept that it was happening. He looked around at the faces of these people, so like his friends yet so strangely subtly different at the same time. Well the situation was what it was and he had taken the initiative. Now, for good or ill, it was up to him to carry it through. He said a quick silent prayer that he wouldn't screw up.

Ron had convinced Jacob that if they were to be able to rescue Catherine, and hopefully get Vincent back, Joe, Diana and Elliot would have to be let in on the secret of the tunnels. He had figured that their best chance to get in undetected was from underground. They had moved their meeting down to Vincent's chamber where the Kristopher Gentian painting caused quite a stir. Nearly a whole day was spent getting Joe, Elliot and Diana acquainted with the tunnel community and convincing them that the Vincent in the painting was real and that Ron had enough pieces to the puzzle that they might be able to put it together. Diana had noticed some similarity between Ron and the painting of Vincent. She concluded that Ron was Vincent's brother and Ron did nothing to change her opinion.

They were now back in Vincent's chamber, sitting around a beat-up old table that Mouse and Kanin had fetched from Jacob's library. Once they got down to the actual planning, Ron told them all he could remember from the scripts.

"So what can you tell me about the building?" Elliot asked.

"First I know that Gabriel owns the building. It is at least twenty stories tall maybe more and there is a helipad on the top. Catherine is in a room with an outside window. There are several tall buildings on the side that Catherine's room faces." Ron searched his memory. "There is an alarmed door labeled sub-basement 2, 6, D. It has a south stairwell." He continued to go over what he could remember of the last pages of the script in his mind, searching for clues. "The building is shorter than the First Interstate building because you can see the sign from the helipad." He remembered that detail from the rushes he had seen of the location shoot the day before all this insanity began. He went on to describe details he could remember from the sets used in the episode.

After Ron finished, Elliot thought for a while. "I can think of a few possibilities that might fit what you've described. I'll check into it but, if there are more than one, we will have to watch the suspected buildings constantly, day and night, and hope for a break. I can trust my lead investigator but if we use his men it is probable that Gabriel will find out."

Ron thought a minute. "We can use the tunnel community and helpers to watch the buildings. Gabriel would know nothing about them. Maybe your people can keep Gabriel's attention elsewhere while we search for her." He looked at Diane. "You can get us blueprints of those buildings Elliot identifies. We'll need those when we go after her." He looked over at Jacob. "Father, we need maps of the known tunnels in that area. See if we can find an access from below into those buildings." Next he turned to Joe. "Joe, you need to convince Moreno that you have given up. Anything Moreno knows, Gabriel knows."

The meeting was adjourned and everyone went about their tasks. Pascal put out the word on the pipes that traffic was to be kept to a minimum so that messages about Catherine could get through easily.

It was nearly a week later when Elliot came back with two possibilities. "Originally I had three possible locations but one of the investigative teams my security chief sent out actually penetrated Gabriel's net and we were able to eliminate one of them from the list."

"Are you sure about that information?" Ron asked.

"Yes. That was one of the two teams that we were sure that Gabriel did not have access to."

"Thanks, Elliot. I really appreciate your help. Tomorrow we start concentrated surveillance of those two buildings." Ron pulled over a map of that part of the city to check the location of the two buildings.

Elliot hesitated at the doorway and stared at the painting of Vincent and Catherine for a few seconds then spoke. "As far as watching those buildings goes, I may be able to help you with that. I'll see what I can arrange by tomorrow morning." Then with a sigh he left the chamber.

Watching him leave, Ron also sighed as he felt the weight of the responsibility he had taken on settle about him. He leaned back and stared down at the beat-up table top. For the hundredth time he wondered how he had gotten himself into this. He was just winging it and several lives were on the line based on his decisions. He felt totally in over his head.

"Don't worry, I know we are all in good hands." Ron jerked his head up to see Jamie standing there holding a mismatched tea service set. "We all believe in you. I know you won't let us down."

It had been two weeks since the two likely possibilities had been identified. The buildings in question had been watched constantly night and day by members of the tunnel community and their helpers since then. Observation posts had been set up all around both buildings. Elliot had managed to get them a couple of offices in the First Interstate building facing their targets. They were occupied twenty-four hours a day by people with high power binoculars, constantly scanning the windows of the two subject buildings, looking for any sign of their target. At night when they might be able to see into the lighted offices all of the various observation posts were crowded with anxious observers. Everyone who knew Catherine by sight was involved in this effort.

Father had produced a map of the known tunnels of the area. Mouse and Jamie led a concentrated effort to explore all the tunnels in the area around the two buildings. Every new tunnels they found was duly noted on the maps. Pascal kept everyone below in touch. Eliot had supplied a dozen two way radios for topside communications. Cullin had located in an old building near an old steam pipe with a radio. He relayed messages between the pipes and the other radios. One of the helpers noted some baby supplies being delivered to one of the buildings so surveillance on that building was doubled.

Elliot and his people were out distracting and annoying Gabriel. It had not been easy. Gabriel had struck back and Elliot's empire was suffering. Diana had managed to acquire the blueprints of both buildings without anyone noticing. She never did say how.

Ron spent most of his time in one of the two offices that Elliot had acquired for them, usually in the one facing the building that had become the prime suspect. When He wasn't watching one of the two buildings in question, he was fretting over what to do next or agonizing over his own feeling of self-doubt over trying to lead an enterprise of this magnitude. People's lives, including Catherine's and her child, were in his hands and the thought made him uneasy.

It was just after dark and Ron, as usual, was in one of the two offices.

"**I see her!**" Ron looked over to see Rebecca waving. "**I see her!**"

"Where?" he called as he moved over to her side.

"There! Ah ... one ... two ... three ... **Fourth** floor down from the top." She paused, slightly flustered. "Ah ... Ah ... about a … ah … quarter of the way over from the right corner."

Ron grabbed up his binoculars. Though not as powerful as what Rebecca was using, he could make out the window in question and saw the figure standing at it but she had turned away from the window. Then the light went out.

Ron turned to Rebecca. "You're positive it was Catherine?"

"Yes, I saw her as clear as I see you." She replied.

The rest of the room had become dead quiet by now. Ron looked at all the expectant faces that were waiting for him to tell them what to do. They knew where their target was, now it was time to plan the assault. He thought for a moment then took a deep breath. "OK, folks, as of right now we are concentrating on the fourth floor down and the two floors immediately above and below it. We're looking for two things; confirmation of Catharine's presence; and counts and movements of anybody else on those five floors." He looked around at the expectant faces looking back at him. "In order to plan a successful raid, we have to know what we're up against. Those not watching will be needed below to help find a point of entrance into that building."

_**Continued**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	9. Part 5A

**Exit Staged Right**  
_by Thomas Mc_

* * *

**Part 5-A**

Linda was taking an impromptu nap on her living room couch when she was disturbed by the persistent ringing of her telephone. Groaning she got up from the couch, an action that was becoming progressively more difficult as her pregnancy progressed, and made her way to her phone.

When she answered it she was surprised to hear the producer's voice, "Linda, We've been called on the carpet by the network over the new season. I need you and Ron to come to my office right away."

Linda smiled to herself. "OK, I'll be there as soon as possible."

"OK, Thanks. Bye."

Linda hung up the phone. "**YES**!"

When Linda got to the studio lot she headed straight to Ron's trailer, where she found Vincent pouring over the current script and the new third season bible. Several of the old scripts were scattered around him. "Good news, Vincent, the network is reacting and we have been called to meet with the producers."

"That's good but it might not be wise for me to go." He indicated his hands and face. "My presence would only complicate the issue. It would be best to keep the discussion on what would make the fans happy."

"I suppose you're right. I could say that you went out to enjoy your day off and I don't know where you are." She nodded to herself. "That should work. I'll let you know what happens." She left the trailer.

The network had been hit by a firestorm of fan reaction and was in a sweat about loosing revenue if the fans abandoned the show. The Network had called the producers and demanded that they fix the problem. The producers had called in Linda and the writers to find a solution that would meet the network demands. They had been unable to get a hold of Ron.

Linda insisted that the only solution that would make everybody happy was to find a way to keep Catherine alive. She asserted that it was the relationship between Vincent and Catherine that the viewers care about and the idea of introducing a new substitute love interest just would not fly.

The writers complained that the first ten weeks of the season were already determined and the scripts were mostly written. They said that it would take too much rewriting to change it. Linda suggested that they could keep most of it unchanged and keep Catherine hidden in Vincent's world. Just let those above think that Catherine was dead.

There was a lot of discussion on how to Keep Catherine alive without Linda. She pushed the idea of just getting another actress to play the part. The producer rejected that idea, claiming that it would be no better than the substitute love interest. Most of the options were batted around and ultimately discarded. Finally the producer insisted that it would be too difficult to keep Catherine alive without Linda.

It looked like they had reached a stalemate when Linda finally agreed to stay with the show if they cut her workload to only three days a week doing mostly close-up work. They could make the new season a little more Vincent centric. Linda called up her twin sister and got her to agree to help fill in the gaps and cover any necessary wide shots.

Then the discussion got down to how to modify the existing scripts to keep her alive with a minimum of changes. It was decided that Vincent would get to the operating room just as the injection is being given. He attacks the doctor and rescues Catherine but she is weak and sick because the doctor got some of the drug into her before Vincent drives him off. If they add complications from her reaction to the drug, she could spend most of the first five or six episodes in bed in the tunnels recovering while Vincent will be searching for their son. They could even have her in a coma for a while. They decided to keep the Diana character and have her come in because of the connection to Gabriel. They even thought of having Diana be a romantic rival for Vincent's attention for a couple of episodes while Catherine was recovering. The rest of the meeting was spent hammering out the revisions to the current script for the next day's shoot. The only changes made were to the scene where the doctor gives her the injection. The next week's episode would have Vincent realize that Catherine is still alive after he brings her to her apartment and the body is discovered. Then he would sneak Catherine below where Father and Peter would take care of her till she comes back.

A knock at the door interrupted them. It turned out to be the film editor who told the producer that some of the film from yesterday had been ruined. It turned out that during about two seconds of the film shot in the tunnel segment, Ron appeared to be double exposed. Linda was fascinated, realizing that this must have been when Ron and Vincent had traded places. The producer decided to throw out that segment and Linda talked the editor into letting her have the messed up film segment.

That evening Linda showed up at Ron's trailer with the revised script and told Vincent all about the meeting and her decision to stay with the show. She also gave him some notes that she had gotten from the writers about where Gabriel was supposed to be holding Catherine.

"What about your new baby?" Vincent asked.

"That's why I'm going to be in a coma for the first five episodes. A few day's shooting of close-ups of me in bed with my eyes closed, no acting required, will provide all the footage they need to cover that time." She smiled. "Besides in the last two days I've become rather fond of Catherine. After meeting you I have developed a much deeper understanding of the character and I don't really want to give her up."

The next morning Linda showed up at the trailer. "Well I see you're still here. They've scheduled the hospital room scene and the roof top helipad scene for today." She looked at him with her hands on her hips. "Since you're still here, I guess you will have to stand in for Ron."

Then she pulled out two of the publicity stills of Catherine and Vincent. "I wanted to give these to you. One is for you and one is for Catherine." Then she pulled out the close-up picture she had taken yesterday. "would you autograph this one for me?"

"I'd be honored." He responded as he signed it.

She pulled out a copy of the picture she got of both of them surrounded by fans. "I thought you might want this as a souvenir."

He thanked her, placing the pictures in an inside pocket of his vest. Then they headed to the set.

There was a little bit of classic French farce involved in hiding the fact that Vincent didn't have to go to makeup but they managed to pull it off. Leslie even showed up and helped to facilitate the ruse. At one point Linda got a case of the giggles over it. Vincent turned out to be an excellent actor. The rooftop helipad scene was accomplished in one take and when it was finished there wasn't a dry eye in the entire crew.

In the limo on the way back to the studio Linda and Leslie were still reacting to the scene. "Wow, that was incredible!" Leslie exclaimed. Linda chimed in. "She's right, Vincent. You are a fantastic actor."

"It wasn't that hard. I just imagined that it was really happening and reacted." He smiled at them. "Living that scene was so hard, even knowing that it wasn't real. You are so much like my Catherine, I sometimes have to remind myself that you're not her."

"I can certainly understand what Catherine sees in you." Linda responded. "You are a very unique and special person and I think I'm beginning to envy Catherine."

Leslie pulled out an autograph book. "Vincent, if you don't mind, I would love it if you would sign this."

Vincent smiled at her and autographed it for her.

Back at the studio they shot the revised delivery room scene. Most of the action was shot with stunt people which suited Vincent because he didn't want to run the risk of hurting someone. Vincent's makeup job was so good that they used the opportunity to get several close-up reaction and emotion shots of him. Linda even got him to roar twice for the camera.

Linda had to stay on the set to do a few quick pickup shots in the delivery room set so Vincent went back to Ron's trailer. As he sat there reading some of the older first season scripts, he suddenly found himself getting dizzy and lay down on the sofa then a ringing in his ears quickly grew till everything went black and he felt like a taught rubber band that suddenly snapped loose.

_**Continued  
**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	10. Part 5B

**Exit Staged Right**  
_by Thomas Mc_

* * *

**Part 5-B**

A week of intense planning was over and it was time to act. Ron had considered and often rejected bits and pieces from dozens of movies and TV shows to help him in formulating a plan of attack.

As they headed up the tunnels, Jamie stopped at the point where the dead fall she and Mouse had created would be triggered. She carefully began checking the rigging to the triggering lever. The dead falls had been setup in an old unused connecting tunnel that ran between the old steam tunnel and the newer utility tunnel that gave access to Gabriel's building. By the time any pursuit could get around a blockage in that section, the rescue party would be long gone.

The rest of them headed to the building they were about to invade. Direct access between the building and the utility tunnel was through a locked and alarmed steel door, so that way in was rejected. Mouse had located a place in the concrete basement wall that was particularly thin. This spot happened to be close to the stairwell they planed to use and the security wiring junction room. Kanin, Collin and William had been working on this wall for the last week quietly and carefully cutting away at it till there was a deep groove around where they intended to break in.

By now the diversionary invasions by Elliot's security people busily trying to penetrate three of Gabriel's buildings, should be well under way. Many of those attempts were based on the Movie and TV scenarios that Ron remembered. All of them were very clever and unusual. Gabriel had, of course, known about most of them and his security people were occupied with repelling the various attempts.

They quickly placed a very tiny amount of plastic explosive in that deep groove in the wall and checked the time. Everyone backed off a short way and Elliot triggered the explosive. The setup of the explosive was so well planned that the sound of the concrete rectangle hitting the floor was louder than the sound of the explosion itself.

As the team poured through the opening, Elliot, William and Mouse entered the circuitry junction room in the basement and disabled some of the critical security systems. It was a less obvious target than the security center on the ground floor. They started messing with the security systems and disabling security camera's on the roof, in the stairwells and a dozen floors including Gabriel's computer center, his security control center and Catherine's floor

Ron, Joe, Elliot and Diana headed up the stairway to go after Catherine while William and Kanin stayed by their new opening to guard their escape route. Mouse was in the circuitry room randomly connecting and disconnecting security system circuits.

When they reached the floor that contained the room they had identified as Catherine's, they found two guards on watch. Diana and Elliot were able to take the two guards out quickly and quietly. As they made their way stealthily towards the far side where her room was they encountered two more guards which Diana dealt with. Finally they reached the room they were looking for.

Ron stopped them. "This should be the room. Joe, radio Rebecca to check on Catherine's movements."

On the little hand held radio Joe asked if Catherine was still in her room.. "Yes, she is still in there." He told them. "Rebecca said she is staring out the window."

Ron turned to Elliot. "Keep watch at the end of the hall. We don't want to be caught by surprise by any wandering guards." While Elliot took up position down the hallway, Ron carefully checked the door. The door was locked. A quick check of the guards produced no key.

"No time. We must move quickly. I'll just use this key." Joe remarked as he pulled one of the guard's guns. He fired it at the door lock twice and the door swung open. Ron, Diana and Joe entered the room to find a startled Catherine standing at the window looking back at them.

They were all stunned by Catherine's appearance. She was very pregnant and unkempt. In her eyes they saw utter hopelessness mixed with surprise that slowly gave way to a dawning hope as she recognized Joe.

Catherine blinked twice, "Joe?" She asked timidly as though afraid it was an illusion or a trick.

"Come on Cathy, we've gotta move fast, before they figure out what's happening and catch us." Joe responded.

As though in a dream Catherine moved towards them. As she reached the door she was hit by a wave of labor pain and grabbed the doorframe in response. Seeing this, Ron and Joe both stepped up to her and helped support her till it passed. Then with Diana in the lead, they headed towards the back stairwell.

When they met Elliot at the hallway intersection, Catherine looked at him in surprise and a hint of suspicion. "Elliot? What are you doing here?"

Elliot saw the suspicion in her eyes and responded. "Look I understand that I lost my chance with you and that you are with Vincent now, but I still care about you and they needed my help to pull off this rescue."

Catherine asked, "Where is Vincent?"

Elliot replied, "I don't know. He's missing, but Ron says that he is pretty sure he knows where Vincent is. And that he is safe." At that moment the lights flashed off and on a couple of times. Catherine looked around nervously.

"That's part of the plan." The red haired woman interjected looking up at the lights. "Mouse is doing it to keep them guessing." Under her breath she added, "I hope." She glanced back at Catherine. "Hi. I'm detective Diana Bennett." She glanced around the next corner. "Clear." She announced.

The five of them hurried up the hallway to the stairwell door and quickly moved through it. Joe spoke on the portable radio. "Rebecca, we have Catherine and we're on our way down."

As they made their way down the stairs, Catherine kept looking at the large silent man on the other side of her from Joe, There was something hauntingly familiar about him. The more she looked at him, the more he reminded her of Vincent. His mannerisms, his eyes, even the planes of his face, hinted of Vincent to her. "Who are you." She finally asked him.

He glanced at her. "Name's Ron Perlman, Catherine." He smiled and there was a familiar twinkle in his eyes. "Glad to finally meet you."

"That voice." She looked at him in stunned amazement. "Do you know Vincent?" If she closed her eyes and just listened to that voice, she would swear that he was Vincent.

"Better than you might think." Was his cryptic reply.

Just as they reached the ground floor landing, they were startled by the sound of alarms going off. Gabriel and two large burly guards burst into the stairwell through the Exit door and both groups collided before anyone could respond effectively. A donnybrook immediately ensued. One guard jumped Joe. Elliot jumped Gabriel as he was trying to grab Catherine. The second guard hesitated and Ron jumped him. Diana took Catherine's hand and started leading her down the stairs away from the fight. Joe used a barely remembered judo move and managed to flip his opponent while snatching his gun. That guard was knocked out when his head collided with one of the stair steps. Ron's foot hit the wrist of the downed guard as he was struggling with the second guard. He fell backwards and started sliding down the stairs. As the second guard pointed his gun at Ron, Joe shot him from behind. Ron's head smacked into a handrail post and he was knocked unconscious. Joe started down the stairs towards Catherine. Gabriel and Elliot each has guns and were struggling for control. Everybody looked up at the sound of the double shot to see Gabriel and Elliot both go down.

_**Continued  
**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	11. Part 6A

**Exit Staged Right**  
_by Thomas Mc_

* * *

**Part 6-A**

The ringing in his ears changed into the sound of a klaxon and Vincent was startled by a loud double bang. He looked around and found himself laying at the bottom of a stairwell. Up the stairs he saw Joe Maxwell and to one side an unknown redheaded woman was standing next to him. Kneeling beside him was Catherine. He knew instantly and without a doubt that this was his Catherine because the link was back as strong as ever. Most importantly, Catherine was pregnant. All three were looking up the stairs away from him.

"Catherine?" He asked hesitantly.

They all looked down at him in surprise as he sat up. The redhead and Joe both jumped back from him. He could sense their shock and surprise.

"Vincent!" Catherine threw her arms around him "You're here!" She proceeded to embrace him tightly. "Where did you come from?"

Vincent took her arms and held her out away from him then gazed at her hungrily, sweeping her from head to toe with his gaze. "You really are pregnant." He then hugged her close. "I thought I had lost you but now I have you back. God I've missed you." He suddenly found himself on the receiving end of a very passionate kiss from Catherine.

The redhead was staring at Vincent in utter fascination as they broke from the kiss. "They really **were** telling the truth about you. I didn't believe that painting was true until now."

Joe's gaze kept going back and forth between Vincent and Catherine. "One thing about you Radcliffe, you certainly have interesting friends."

The sounds of alarms continued to fill the air reminding them of their still precarious situation. "We can't stay here any longer." Joe remarked as he continued to stare warily at Vincent.

Looking around, Vincent, spotted Elliot and a thin, almost emaciated, man crumpled to the floor blood spreading from beneath them both. He shook his head sadly. "Elliot was a good man at heart. I'm sorry to see him gone." He hugged Catherine again. "I know how much you cared about him, Catherine."

Joe spoke to the radio "Rebecca, have someone call the police and report a shooting in the stairwell of this building." Then he addressed them. "We have to get out of here, **now**."

Vincent stood and scooped Catherine up into his arms in one fluid catlike movement, then took off running down the last flights of stairs. Diana and Joe took off in close pursuit. In the basement they were joined by William and Mouse who were both very surprised to see Vincent. Mouse called out, "Vincent, your back!" Without stopping they all took off down the tunnel along their preplanned escape route. Vincent was now letting the others lead since he didn't know where they were going.

They stopped at the dead fall trigger where Jamie and Kanin were both waiting for them.

Jamie looked at them in surprise. "Vincent!" She called out. "You're back. Where have you been?" Then she looked puzzled. "Where are Ron and Elliot?"

At that moment Catherine was hit by another wave of labor pain and Joe spoke up. "Elliot is dead and Ron is gone, explanations can wait. Lets get Cathy to Father in the infirmary, quickly."

Kanin pulled a leaver and there was a loud rumble then a whoosh of dust and air from the tunnel they had just passed through. "They will have to dig through two hundred feet of rock to get to us now. By that time we will be long gone and all access to this area sealed off." Kanin remarked.

The group headed back to the home tunnels. Vincent soon got his bearings and took the lead, carrying Catherine.

As they were heading towards the central tunnels Vincent addressed the redhead. "I don't recognize you."

Catherine was also curious. "Just who are you?"

"I'm Detective Diana Bennett." She shrugged her shoulders. "Ron brought me in on this. Said I would end up involved soon anyway."

Vincent's face showed dawning comprehension. "That's right. The series bible did say that you are brought in to look into ..." There was a catch in his voice. "ah ... into Catherine's death." He looked down into Catherine's surprised face. "Fortunately that has changed and, thanks to you and Joe, she was rescued before that could happen." He held Catherine closer, as much to reassure himself as to comfort her.

As soon as they entered the infirmary, Father looked up. "Vincent, I'm so glad you're back. Set her over on the bed." Father then proceeded to check Catherine over thoroughly . Finally he made his pronouncement. "Everything's just fine. We've still got about an hour before things start hopping."

Vincent took Catherine's hand then looked over at Jacob.. "Father, you would not believe where I have been for the last few days."

Jacob smiled back at him. "Were you by any chance on a studio set for a TV show?"

"How?" Vincent was stunned.

Jacob explained to a rapt audience. "The actor that plays you on that TV show, was here. He used his knowledge of the show's script to find Catherine and planed the raid to rescue her." He looked around at the crowd, puzzled. "By the way, what happened to Roy and Elliot?"

Vincent responded. "Do you mean Ron ... Ron Perlman?"

Joe replied, "I don't know what happened to Ron. He got knocked down on the stairs and then he was gone and Vincent was there." Joe shook his head. "Elliot was killed by Gabriel. Actually they killed each other."

Vincent added. "I think Ron probably went back where he belonged, when I came back here." He then proceeded to tell them what had happened to him in Ron's world. He then pulled out the two studio stills and the fan crowd picture. He discovered a fourth picture of Linda and Leslie together and signed by both of them. The four pictures caused quite a sensation as they were passed around.

When the labor pains got close Jacob shooed every one out but Vincent. Catherine had asked him to stay. He was holding her hand and gazing into her face at the moment the baby was delivered. He saw her face open up into a huge grin at the same time he felt overwhelming joy washing over her. "Oh, Vincent, he's so beautiful."

He turned his head to see Father holding the tiny bundle and was amazed to see that the baby looked just like himself. "Well that certainly wasn't the way it was in the script." He remarked. Then he smiled down at Catherine.

_**Continued**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	12. Part 6B

**Exit Staged Right**  
_by Thomas Mc_

* * *

**Part 6-B**

Ron felt a flash of pain as his head hit the post, then the next instant the pain was gone and he was back in his trailer laying on his sofa. He looked around confused.

He heard his door open and Linda came in. "Cath ... ah Linda, what happened?"

"Ron you're back." Linda cried as she rushed up to embrace him.

Ron responded "Linda?" He again looked around at his trailer. "I had the strangest dream. I thought the show had become real except that Vincent was missing and I had appeared in his place." He paused momentarily recalling his vivid dreams. "I got together with the other characters and we rescued Catherine before she could be killed. I was able to use my memory of the script to help them find her and get her out."

Linda jumped in. "Then you got to her in time? Thank god. That will make Vincent very happy. Was the baby OK?"

Ron looked at her like she was nuts. "What?"

Catherine smiled. "While you were gone Vincent showed up here."

"Your joking. It was only a dream." He was looking less certain.

"No joke. I talked to him, I **touched** him . He was **here** and he was **real**. I even got a couple of pictures of him with some of our fans. By the way he is as good an actor as you are. So tell me, what about the baby?"

Ron took a moment to absorb what she said. "I don't know for sure. I was attacked by one of Gabriel's guards. We were winning but I fell on the stairs then I woke up here." He concentrated on what he could remember. "The last thing I remember was Joe shooting the guard that was attacking me. By then the only other opponent was Gabriel and he was fighting Elliot. We had almost reached the tunnels by then so I'm sure they must have made it out. We had even rigged it to cause a cave in behind us to block off any pursuit. Catherine was still pregnant so I think they will both be OK."

"Tell me everything you remember." Linda begged. "What happened to you there?"

Ron proceeded over the next hour to tell her everything he could remember about the month he spent in Vincent's world. He described the people he met and compared them to the way they were portrayed in their TV show. After he finished, Linda sat there thinking about what he told her. Ron was pretty sure that they had made it out safely and that made her happy.

Finally Ron interrupted her reverie. "So. What happened here?"

She came back to earth. "Well first off, only three days passed here, but they were very eventful. Vincent got to meet a group of fans in person and handled himself very well. We had a lot of very happy fans as a result. He even faced a pack of reporters and pulled it off." She chuckled. "By the way if anyone asks you to do the Vincent roar, just tell them it's very hard on your throat and you can't do it right now." She smiled at Ron's quizzical look. "Vincent and I pulled a few shenanigans and caused an uproar in the fan base over Catherine's death. The fan reaction caused the Network to go into a panic. As a result, we've revamped the new season so that Catherine lives."

Ron looked interested. "How are they going to accomplish that?"

Linda grinned back. "I'm staying with the show but I'll be working a reduced work week, mostly close-ups and over the shoulder shots. There will be lots of long shots, back shots and more Vincent centric plots." She nodded. "Catherine is unconscious during the first five episodes after the season premier. Then she stays below recovering until Gabriel and his organization is destroyed and her son is recovered." She grinned at him. "I even tried to get them to make the baby look like Vincent but they wouldn't go for it. Said it was too expensive." She looked thoughtful. "I wonder what Vincent and Catherine's baby looked like."

_**Continued**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	13. New Beginning

**Exit Staged Right**  
_by Thomas Mc_

* * *

**New Beginning**

Catherine had been cleaned up and sat beside Vincent, holding her new baby son. Father and the remainder of the rescue team stood around admiring the newborn. For the last half hour she had been thinking about two things. Her beautiful new son, and how much time had been lost or wasted in hers and Vincent's relationship because of the abduction and because of Vincent's stubbornness.

"Well," Father cleared his throat. "I guess we will have to find a chamber for you and your baby."

Catherine looked up. If ever there was a time to take the bull by the horns, it was now. "That's no problem. I can just stay with Vincent."

"What?" Father and Vincent exclaimed simultaneously.

Catherine caressed the infant then gazed at Vincent her eyes full of mischief. "**You** may not remember it, but you are a hell of a damn good lover." Father sputtered, Joes jaw dropped, Diana and Jamie giggled. Catherine smiled seductively at Vincent. "And I plan to refresh your memory as often as I possibly can." For the first time since she had known him, Catherine learned that Vincent could blush. "Besides, this little darling needs a few brothers and sisters and I expect you to help me supply them." She place her hand on his arm. "If that's not clear enough, I love you and I'm asking you to marry me and make us a real family."

Vincent could feel the love and desire radiating from her like a beacon and was stunned by it's intensity.

Catherine looked up at Father with a twinkle in her eyes. "Father, don't you think Vincent should make an honest woman of me?"

Jacob harrumphed, unable to frame a response.

Vincent finally found his voice. "Catherine, I can not resist the emotions I feel coming from you nor deny the desires of my own heart. I would be honored to be your husband." And he placed his arms around Catherine and his new son as Jamie cheered and Jacob, Joe and Diana all found their eyes unusually moist.

Later that evening Vincent sat at his desk to record a few lines in his current journal about the day's events. After much discussion it was decided that the wedding would be held below in one week. Father would officiate, Peter Alcott would give the bride away, Dianna would be maid of honor, Joe would be best man, and the whole community was invited as witnesses. As he reached for his journal he noticed a new unfamiliar book mixed in with his journals. He pulled it out and opened it. In the front was a note to him from Ron.

_Dear Vincent,_

_I am writing this log so that when  
you return you will know what we  
did and what I thought about your  
world._

_Ron Perlman._

He flipped through it, reading occasional passages. Finally he came to the last entry.

_They're waiting for me. I only hope I'm up to this challenge  
and I pray that I don't let you down. In one hour we begin  
our raid on Gabriel's building to rescue Catherine._

He was interrupted by the lovely sound of Catherine's voice. "Vincent, my love, are you coming to bed soon?"

Vincent gazed over at the vision of his beautiful bride and the tiny crib next to the bed. He closed the book and, smiling, stood up. "I'm coming to bed now, love."

~ x x x x x ~

One week later, Joe, Diana, Catherine and two uniformed police officers showed up in Moreno's office together and arrested him for the kidnapping of Catherine Chandler. That evening they participated in a very special wedding.

_**The End  
**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


End file.
